


Candy Canes

by pillowcreek



Series: 25 Days of Ficmas [13]
Category: The Bridge (Podcast)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Depression, Gen, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-21
Updated: 2017-12-21
Packaged: 2019-02-18 02:34:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13090587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pillowcreek/pseuds/pillowcreek
Summary: The crew tries to find a way to help Etta with her depression.





	Candy Canes

When Bertie got back to the Watchtower with Kate, they were greeted by a very annoyed Roger. 

“Where the hell were you two?” he asked. 

“It took forever to get to the checkpoint with the snow. We don’t exactly have snowplows out here,” Kate said. 

“Did you get it?” 

Kate held up her two plastic bags and Bertie held up the box of mini candy canes. “Is Etta still in the broadcast room?” he asked. 

Roger shook his head. “She went down to Submare 3 an hour ago. I think she’s just been talking to Bob. She’s… really not doing well.” 

“Well then we’d better work fast,” Kate said. “How do we keep her down there? Should one of us go talk to her?” 

The boys glanced at each other before looking back at Kate. She rolled her eyes. “Fine, I’ll do it. But you two better be done fast.” 

The plan was Bertie’s idea, thought up after Etta didn’t come out of her room for food for an entire day. All three of them had tried to get her to eat, but she didn’t touch anything they brought her. It wasn’t the first time that her depression had hit badly, but it was the first in a while and they were all worried. 

“Maybe we could do something to cheer her up,” Bertie had said. 

“I don’t think that’s how it works, Bertie,” Kate said, giving him a soft, slightly pitying look. 

He huffed. “I know that’s not how it works. But we could still do something nice. You know, remind her that we’re here for her or something.” 

“What do you have in mind?” Roger asked. 

“Well, she doesn’t really want to very much, right? Maybe we let her do that.” 

“We literally just did that today.” 

“No, like… The games room. We set it up so that she can watch a bunch of horror movies or something. Something really nice.” 

The candy canes had been Roger’s idea, born out of a desire to not be anywhere near Etta when she found the room. But to keep it secret until they were done, they needed Etta distracted. Which is why Bertie and Roger were surprised to see Kate come into the games room only a couple of minutes after them. 

“She said she didn’t want to talk to anyone,” she said, sitting down in one of the armchairs with a sigh. 

“She’s going to hate me for this…” Roger muttered, walking across the room to the comms panel. 

“What are you doing?” Bertie asked. 

Roger ignored him and punched in the code for Submare 3. 

“What?” Etta said, sounding more dead than she had when they left. Bertie winced. 

“I just got news from Headquarters. Apparently they need someone doing a solid two hour broadcast because so many people will be using the Bridge because of the holidays.” 

“Are you joking?” There was a pause before Etta muttered, “Of course you aren’t, you’re Roger. Can’t one of the others do it?” she pleaded. 

“Nope. Has to be you. They said… they need your particular brand of broadcast?” Roger shot the other two a panicked look and mouthed _What the fuck am I saying?_

Etta groaned. “Fine. I’ll be up in a minute.” 

As soon as the comms closed, Kate smacked the back of Roger’s head. “What the hell was that? Are you _trying_ to make her even more miserable?” 

“It’ll only be twenty minutes at most if we work fast. So let’s get going.” 

* * *

The comms panel in the broadcasting room buzzed. Etta answered it. “You’re on air. Make sure you’re super friendly to all those people on the road. Must be a lot of white cars, since I can’t see a single one.” 

“About that…” Roger’s voice came from the other end of the comms, staticky and slow. “Uh… I may have read the wrong date? It’s actually not until next Thursday.” 

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Etta groaned and rested her head on her desk. Fifteen minutes of wanting to die. And she didn’t even need to do it. “I’m going to kill you Roger. I’m actually going to kill you this time.” 

“That’s nice,” he said before hanging up. 

Etta sighed and switched off the broadcast before grabbing her blanket and stumbling out of the broadcast room like a burrito with legs. There was a crunching noise as she stepped outside and she looked down to see a crushed mini candy cane. Looking down the hallway, she could see a line of them leading to the stairwell. And hanging on the wall next to the broadcast room, a plastic bag and a sign reading: _Collect them. They’re yours._

Etta frowned, confused. She didn’t remember buying candy canes, and that felt like something that she would remember. There weren’t exactly stores near the Watchtower. She went back into the broadcasting room and buzzed through to Roger’s office. 

“What?”

“What’s with the candy canes?” Etta asked. 

“Oh. Uhhhhhhhh……” 

“They’re for you.” Etta’s eyes widened slightly when Bertie’s voice came through the comms. 

“Bertrand? What are you doing in Roger’s office?” 

“Uhhhhhhhhh……” 

“No reason just follow the candy canes and be sure to collect them.” It was Kate’s voice now, hurried before the comms buzzed off. Etta tried to buzz through again but she was hung up on every time. 

“What the hell…?” she muttered, going back into the hallway. 

She followed the line of candy canes down the hallway, the stairwell, and through the first floor to the games room. She glanced into Roger’s office as she passed it, but it was empty. Clearly the other three had lost their minds today. Maybe there was something weird about the snow? 

At least that was what she thought until she saw the games room. Christmas lights had been strung on the walls, casting the room in a soft glow. The TV was on, with the menu for one of her favourite horror movies playing on the screen. The couch had been turned into a bed, piled high with blankets and pillows and a stuffed fish with a bow on it. The table in front of it was covered with chocolate, popcorn, a pile of horror and fantasy movies, and a note. 

_Dear Etta,_

_We know you haven’t been feeling well lately, and we know there isn’t very much that we can do to help. But we couldn’t just sit around doing nothing so we did something and we hope it’ll at least not make things worse, even if it can’t make things better._

_We love you a lot and we’re here for you._

_\- Kate, Bertie, and Roger_

_P.S. Roger’s very sorry about lying to you about the broadcast and has requested that you do not murder him._

Etta smiled and hugged the stuffed fish, settling back on the couch to watch the movie. She really did have the best friends ever. 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on tumblr @thenightcrowd


End file.
